ACEM meditation

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ACEM meditation is a form of serenity meditation . It was developed by the Norwegian doctor and psychologist Are Holen from 1966 onwards. Holen also founded the non-profit ACEM organization, which promotes the method. The abbreviation ACEM is derived from "Academic Meditation Society", the former name of the ACEM organization.

background

The special feature of ACEM meditation is the effort to combine Far Eastern meditation techniques with the knowledge of Western psychology . The method is expressly not bound to world views or religions and free of cultic elements. There are meditation teachers, but no gurus, monks or masters. The courses are offered at cost.

technology

The meditator sits upright in a comfortable position with his eyes closed on a chair with a backrest. He repeats a meditation sound in his mind during the entire duration of the meditation (see below). Thoughts and images that arise are absorbed calmly and are neither pursued in a targeted manner nor driven out forcefully. If you forget about the repetition of the sound, you pick it up again as soon as you notice it. Two 30-minute sessions or one of 45 minutes each day are recommended for regular practice.

Meditation sound

A group of meditation teachers in the ACEM headquarters develops meditation sounds, which serve as repetitively used meditation objects, similar to the mantras used in Asia , although the similarity is purely technical. The meditation sounds in ACEM meditation are meaningless syllable sequences that should not trigger any associations in the meditator. When learning the method, the meditator (or the whole group) is told one of these sounds. They are mostly harmonious, vowel-rich words that should no longer be pronounced or written down after the teacher has communicated them; Otherwise they could quickly lose their meaninglessness. Therefore, the meditator should keep his sound to himself, whereby it is pointed out that no secret will be revealed and nothing will be revealed if the meditation sound is passed on. Keeping for oneself serves only the neutrality of meaning.

theory

For the duration of the meditation, external influences and information are minimized, and the practitioner turns to what is going on in his mind. By repeating a neutral sound, thoughts and feelings are given space that would otherwise remain hidden during the processing of external influences or internal monologues. ACEM meditation assumes the presence of an unconscious , which the meditator can gradually approach in this way and thus achieve an increased level of self-knowledge . The encounter with hidden tensions and inner conflicts from an attitude of serenity should lead to greater self-acceptance and inner calm. This is described as a gradual and never-ending process.

Proven effect

So far, it has been scientifically proven to have an antihypertensive effect. The dampening of the influence of stress factors in competitive athletes was also approved as positive. The similarity of the technique to Zen meditation suggests that the effects that have recently been established for these are at least partially transferable to ACEM.

distribution

So far, over 60,000 people have learned this form of meditation, around 2000 of them in Germany. Most of the courses in Germany take place in adult education centers . The teachers come from Norway for this purpose and work free of charge. The ACEM organization has centers in several countries, including three in Germany: Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.

literature

  • Are Holen, Ole Nygaard (Ed.): Acem Meditation - Relaxation, Silence, Inner Power , Dyade Publishing House, Oslo 2007.

See also

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ EE Solberg, O. Ekeberg, A. Holen, F. Ingjer, L. Sandvik, PA Standal, A. Vikman: Hemodynamic changes during long meditation. In: Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback. Volume 29, Number 3, September 2004, pp. 213-221, ISSN  1090-0586 . PMID 15497620 .
  2. ↑ EE Solberg, F. Ingjer, A. Holen, J. Sundgot-Borgen, S. Nilsson, I. Holme: Stress reactivity to and recovery from a standardized exercise bout: a study of 31 runners practicing relaxation techniques. In: British journal of sports medicine. Volume 34, Number 4, August 2000, pp. 268-272, ISSN  0306-3674 . PMID 10953899 . PMC 1724230 (free full text).